In late July, the AC Transit Board changed the bus route, eliminating the stop on Magnolia Avenue next to Piedmont Park.
The City Council and the Piedmont Unified School District met with AC Transit officials. They raised additional questions at the meeting, including: How does this affect students or teachers who take the bus to school every day? Why was this change implemented?
“Transportation all over the Bay Area has only reached 85 percent of pre-COVID ridership,” said Vice Mayor and Alameda County Transportation Commissioner Conna McCarthy. “All of the transit agencies are financially strapped.”
The AC Transit Board has been looking at where the greatest need for transportation is and stops with the most ridership. The Piedmont bus stops are at the lowest, according to McCarthy.
“In April, they said the number of people on the bus was 33,” said Board of Education President Lindsay Thomasson. “We have ample evidence that that is not the correct number of users for the average bus route.”
McCarthy said that in the past, the AC Transit Board had attempted to cut the Piedmont bus routes, but Piedmont citizens strongly objected to it and were able to get the bus routes back.
“This time, we didn’t really have notice. There was information published, but it was published in treatises of 700 pages,” McCarthy said.
The Board of Education found out about the change after it had already been made, according to Superintendent Jennifer Hawn.
“There were a good number of students taking the bus to and from school,” senior Tung Le said. “I think this is confusing, especially for people who rely on the bus.”
The school district has sent out surveys about the bus stop and its necessity to Piedmont citizens. Results from the survey will be available soon.
“I’d like students to give public testimony to the AC Transit Board so they know how important it is,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy and Board of Education President Lindsay Thomasson are interested in having a group of students speak at the September AC Transit Board meeting so that board members can understand the impact of these new changes on Piedmont students.
“Assistant Superintendent Dolowich is leading a group of students, teachers, parents, and whoever wants to get involved. The meeting is hybrid, so they can phone in to share perspectives on how these impacts have directly or indirectly impacted our community,” Thomasson said.
The meeting will be on Wednesday in Room 30A at 5 p.m.
“I think it would affect a lot of people who live in Upper Piedmont,” Le said.
The primary focus is to get service reinstated for community users, according to the Board of Education.
